Rangers Apprentice: A new war
by The Thousand Page Novel
Summary: A 14 year old boy named Lance has to save the world...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: I Will Take Him**

It was a dark night, overcast and pitch black, the night a man in a cloak came to the door of the Ward of Castle Hiclife. (The Ward is like an orphanage today). He rapped at the door, unseen in the darkness, and left the basket on the doorstep, then ran off.

A short plump man with a curly moustache, Norvin, opened the door, "It's a baby!" he said with shock.

A tall, thin woman named Jacky called out to the other ward staff. She turned, and brought in the basket. The baby was about 20 inches long and weighed about 11 pounds, wrapped in soft blankets. On top of the blankets was an envelope and the woman cried when she read the note inside. She read it aloud and the rest of the staff cried too.

It read "His name is Lance, his mother died in childbirth and his father died a hero. Please take care of him."

14 years later…

"Hey Lance try to eat something", Jake said.

I looked at my barely touched plate, I was nervous because tomorrow was the choosing. The choosing is when the kids in the ward went to find out what job they would do for the rest of their lives. If none of the craftmasters chose one of the kids they would be sent to a farm to work. It is important that I get into battleschool because my father must have been a knight, the note that was in the basket I came in said my father died a hero, and the only explanation I could think of was that my father was a knight.

I started at my plate, not even glancing up as people filed out of the dining room. I know I'm scrawny, but I still am surprisingly strong and fast, I reminded myself. I calmed down and ate some more, then went to bed.

The next day Dave the Talker more correctly the Shouter aroused us from sleep. there are 5 of us: Jake, Draco, Lilly, Jessie, and Me. Draco is short, blond and has green eyes, Jessie is around my size, she was tall but thin, Lilly was plump and she liked to cook her cooking was amazing, and she baked food for the Ward since she was 10. We left the room in single file and walked into the great hall where the choosing took place. The craftmasters started filing in to the great hall, "Okay, let's start with the tallest," said Baron Richard.

Jake stepped out, he was tall, strong, and broad, he said in a firm voice "battleschool sir".

"What's your name boy?"

"Jake Thresh sir"

Sir Frederickson paced around the boy, "hmm… I'll take him", he said.

Next was Jessie, "the diplomatic service sir".

Lady Norgreen said, "Yes I'll take her, what's your name by the way?" "Jessie von horizon" Jessie was smart and always tried to resolve conflict without causing more fighting, and when she did she stayed calm, she was perfect as a diplomat.

I was next I said, "Battleschool sir,"

Sir Frederickson simply said, "He's to skinny sir."

The Baron said, "Is there any other craftmaster you want to join?"

I said, "No sir."

All of the sudden the Ranger Grant said, "I'll take him my lord," in a firm voice.

"Are you sure Grant?" questioned the Baron.

"Yes my lord", Grant said, "Ayden report to the gates of the castle tomorrow morning 6:00am sharp," said Grant.

"If you are rejected for battleschool you become a ranger" said the Baron

"Y…yes sir" "I'll be there sir" I said.

"Good" "And don't be late" said Grant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Ranger training and my first missions**

The next day I left the castle and waited at the gates, Grant appeared behind me and scared me out of my socks. "Aaa! Don't do that Grant" I said.

Grant just laughed, "Follow me Lance" said Grant "Oh, and take this," he dropped a bronze oak leaf in my hand.

It had a thin chain coming from the top, I put it around my neck, I said "thanks, let's go." We walked through the forest and soon appeared at a cottage, not a big cottage, it had only one room. It had a fireplace, a bed, and a cot on the floor.

"That cot is your bed Lance" said Grant

"It could use some softening up" he chuckled, "if you get some water from the stream we can make breakfast."

I nodded and went to the stream with a bucket and filled it up, then returned to the cottage. I put the bucket down and moved with the shadows; Grant obviously heard something and looked around. I stopped when he craned his head; I was surprised when his keen ranger eyes did not see me. I jumped out of a bush behind him and made him yell "Aaa!" I laughed so hard I nearly passed out. "Good job Ayden" said Grant "where is the bucket of water?"

I brought it out from behind the bush and said

"Here you go."

We had porridge for breakfast, after breakfast I walked out to the meadow by the cottage for target practice with the recurve bow Grant gave me after a lot and I mean a LOT of practice I became good at using a bow, after bow practice I started at ranger knife practice and I was really good at that so it was easy and fast for me to learn that.

1 year of training later…

"Lance we are going to investigate a robbery in the village" Grant said

"What kind of robbery?" I asked.

"A robbery in the secret coin storage, the crook stole 3,000 royals (about 2 million dollars in today's money)" said Grant

"That's a lot of money," I said

"It sure is," said Grant "Lets go."

We left the cottage and followed the path to the village. As soon as we got there the crook ran off with friends carrying clubs and sacks of money. One of them tried to club me so I shot him with my bow. We were attacked so we fired at will, soon we took them all down and returned the money to the storage. We positioned guards at the entrance of the storage, and then returned home to the cottage in time for a supper of rabbit, stew then bed.

"Tomorrow Lance, we will investigate a Scandian raid on Greenfield fief" Grant told me.

The Scandian's are sea raiders. They travel on huge ships to steal plunder from other lands. They come from Scandia (it was a historical a region in northern Europe.) All of the sea raiders are men; I have never seen a Scandian sea raider before. But I'm not nervous.

"Okay im excited for my second mission" I answered to Grant.

"Good, it'll be exciting. The Scandian's are strange people, now get to sleep." said Grant

"Okay Grant" I said, and then I fell asleep. The next day we had rabbit stew for breakfast, it was really quite good! Then we got our gear and left for the village, Bentley. The villagers were more than happy to tell us about the raids on the village, only they were not Scandians but Moondarkers. They were men that set up false harbour beacons and lanterns that simulated the town's lights, away from the town. Not too far for people to be suspicious, yet not to close for the sailors to know that it's false. The beacons are to signal sailors that the harbour is there. The false beacon is on the sandbank so the ship will break up on the shore, then the Moondarkers strike, killing all the sailors and taking the cargo, then running off with the loot. This is going to be the last night the Moondarkers will be here so this is our last chance to catch them, or they will move off to another fief.

"We better hurry and set up camp on that ridge there" said Grant pointing at a high ridge covered with trees "We'll make camp there and wait until the full dark of the moon. Then I'll go at nine thirty, so if the villagers are helping the Moondarkers they won't be able to come. If I don't get back by the time they light the beacon and you see a ship throw this dye in the fire, it will change the fire a different color so the ship will know that the beacon is fake."

"Okay" I replied. It was nine thirty and Grant left for the village, I stayed in wait, it was around 10 when the Moondarkers lit the false beacon and in 5 minutes a huge cargo liner saw the beacon and started for the sandbank, I ran down and threw the dye into the fire, the flame turned purple and the liner turned away quickly. Just then a guy with a sword jumped out from behind a bush and slashed ferociously, I parried the blows and kept striking back until the Mondarker fell dead on the sandy beach. It was about ten thirty when the entire group of Moondarkers attacked I kept dodging slashing and just then Grant and the village guard patrol charged out of the bushes, it was a bloody fight 5 Moondarkers, and 4 villagers where dead, but there were 19 guards left, and we captured the remaining 20 Moondarkers and took them to the village garrison prison.

"What a night" I said as I was climbing into bed at the inn that we found to stay at that night,

"Yes and good job fighting 26 Moondarkers, not bad at all for an apprentice." praised Grant

"Now get some sleep it's a long ride home tomorrow, and were still on duty so remember that" Said Grant

"Okay Grant." I answered and I fell asleep fast.

The next day we started home, urging our horses. We have to take breaks to rest our horses, but we only have to take breaks every 4 hours or so, we return to our cottage at around noon, and we went straight to sleep. The next day the Crowley called all the rangers to a gathering,

"We rangers got a surprise for yur birthday" replied Grant

"Okay, what's the surprise" I questioned

"It's a surprise 'aint it?" Grant replied, I laughed

"Guess so" I said chuckling, we ride for hours on end, then eventually we get to the gathering,

"There's no one here Grant… Grant?" I said, he had disappeared, I suspected a trap so I moved unseen thru the tall grass and spotted Will, Halt from Redmond fief's apprentice. He was hiding. Beside him was Grant, my mentor I jumped out and scared them both,

"Aaa!" yelped Will.

"Aaa!" Grant jumped.

Just then all the other rangers and apprentices jumped out and said, "Surprise!" I almost jumped out of my socks,

Crawly came to me and said

"Lance and Will step forth" We walked to Crowley

"Take these you both" he held out silver oak leafs, we took them and put them around are necks.

Halt walked up to us and said

"A now the brothers are true rangers"

We gasped, we were at loss for words, we both said

"We are brothers?!"

"Yer the older of ya two Lance yur 1 year older than Will here." Crowley told us

We just nodded still at loss for words

"Lance… me and Halt agreed that Halt will be leaving Redmond, you and Will are going to be the rangers at Redmond." Grant said

"But where will Halt go?" I asked

"He'll be with me at Hiclife." Grant replied

"Cool" Will said

"Okay, everyone file out, good luck Lance and Will" said Grant as they rode off to Hiclife

"Lets go brother" Will said smiling

"Okay Will, lets go" I said

we rode to Redmond and got to the cottage in time for supper.


End file.
